Savin' Me
by Inuyoshie
Summary: Five Espada are thrown into the human world on a wager between Aizen and a mysterious stranger. In order to regain their powers they fall in love. Sounds cliche, ne? But in the end, who will save who? Lotsa OCs, darkish, but enjoy.Rating may go up.
1. Chapter 1

Savin' Me

By Inuyoshie

Prologue

From within Las Noches, Aizen paced. Everything was wrong.

The attack on Karakura town did not go as planned. For one thing, the Vizored's attack came at the wrong time- Aizen was expecting them later, not earlier. And Wonderweiss… everything was just off. He was so close… and then he was back in Las Noches, licking his wounds. Alright, so the Soul Society didn't know that, the Soul society were still frightened of Aizen and Aizen could use this to his advantage but only once he got his head out of his ass and figured out what went wrong.

"Ahem."

Aizen's head snapped up. A woman stood in front of him, in his throne room, dressed in a rough traveling cloak. She had wavy black hair and dark red eyes. The woman smiled. "Hello,"

"Who are you?" Aizen demanded coolly. The woman's smile widened.

"My name is unimportant. What is however… is you. You are in quite a mess I see," she remarked casually. Aizen frowned. How did this woman get it? And where did she get the audacity to talk to him like that?

"I think I'm doing fine-"

"Well you're wrong," the woman cut him off. Aizen twitched.

"And who are you to tell me I'm wrong?" he demanded.

"I'm me,' the woman replied simply. "And I'm here to offer you a wager."

"A wager?" Aizen blinked. He didn't generally gamble.

"Yes yes, and even if you don't generally gamble I think you'll like the stakes," the woman smiled wider. "I can get you your Espada back,"

Aizen rolled his eyes. "They are of no use to me," he informed the woman. "To my plans-"

"Souske, Souske that's your problem… a game of chess cannot be won using only one piece, even if that piece is powerful. A pawn can take a queen," the woman chided. "You cannot win this war on your own. Even if you have Ichimaru with you, the Soul Society will overwhelm you. And they have that Kurosaki boy."

"So? He's interesting, and fits into my plan-"

"That boy has cosmic forces around him Souske, he will win." The woman told him flatly.

"Cosmic forces," Aizen sighed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well you see… there was this wager between Lady Luck and Fate about the boy's father and his mother… and since Lady Luck won that bet Kurosaki Ichigo's odds are a little, er… tampered with," the woman laughed slightly. "They seemed to be having fun influencing the human and spirit worlds, so I thought I'd try my hand at it,"

"…who exactly are-"

"Now, for my wager. I'm willing to bet that half of your Espada cannot fall in love." The woman cut Aizen off. Aizen blinked, and then burst out laughing.

"OF course not. They're hollows, they have not hearts. Just… holes,"

"Well yes I know that but the point is for them to overcome the holes in their hearts, and then they become powerful and then you can have them working for you again," the woman sighed, as if she was explaining the rules of dominos to a small child.

"Yes but all of my Espada are dead." Aizen pointed out. "Well… Yami might be alive somewhere, and it's possibly an arm of Szayel's is still squirming,"

"Yeah I can bring them back," the woman shrugged. "So, do you accept my wager?"

"What are the rules? Limitations? Which Espada are you bringing back-"

"I'll tell you when you accept," the woman replied.

"That's… rather unfair," Aizen pointed out, almost in a petulant tone.

"I've been told that I'm like that," the woman sighed. "Humans… honestly-"

"You're life." Aizen blinked.

"No, I'm Life. Get it right. Now do you accept?" Life demanded. Aizen frowned, and then nodded.

"I accept,"

After all…what was there to lose?

"Excellent! Come on, you'll miss the show!" Life grinned, grabbing Aizen's wrist and pulling him out of the world he was in… and into the sky over a bustling city.

"This is Coral City, Ohio." Life intoned, pointing to five streaks of light falling into the city. "These five Espada shall encounter someone whom they have to fall in love with. If they fail to do so, they shall be sent back to where I fished them out of,"

Aizen blinked, and then realized what she was talking about. Hell.

"You personally can interfere with one case. You can summon four other people to assist with the others," Life shrugged. "Or you can just watch from up here. Oh, and to make things more interesting, Fate is getting involved. Since he's a little annoyed about the Kurosaki family, he's looking to make my wager not work," Life sighed. "That man… he's so proud. Anyways. Enjoy the show~!"

Aizen stared down at the city, and nodded, watching with a slow smile. Such games were enjoyable… and he had a little time to kill. If he won (more like when… Aizen lost to no one) then Aizen could attack once the Soul Society had relaxed its guard. Perhaps this was…

Fortuitous.

"Loneliness… Nihilism… Despair… Destruction…Madness…" Life murmured, watching the lights with a slight smile. "Those aspects that infect the hearts of man and ultimately cause their death…. "

Prologue End.

Inuyoshie's after the chapter special

Yo.

Okay, so this story is kinda five stories in one… five Espada, five OCs. Stark, Ulquiorra, Nnoitera, Grimmjow and Szayel if you didn't guess by the whole aspects of death things. I tied their aspects into their OCs.

Speaking of their OCs, their OCs are gonna have issues. That's one of the main themes of this story… kinda all salvation and such. I'm gonna be covering a lot of the stuff you heard about in health class… you know, drugs, sex, alcohol, depression… and one of them is going to be 'normal' but… she has some issues too. You shall see. IF you read this and are all like 'Inu, I was through that shizz and it is NOTHING like what you say' then tell me how to fix it. I wanna kinda make a point.

Also, if I rub your political/moral feathers the wrong way, I apologize. This story is supposed to make people think. But it shall not be all emo! I will throw in some funny… I always do~!

Yes. So review?


	2. Chapter 2: New Arrival

Savin' Me

By Inuyoshie

Chapter One: New Arrival

"What do we have?"

"Hit and run on 14th and Moscow. Flight for Life is coming. There's some head trauma at least,"

Several trauma surgeons nodded and ran up to the roof. Selena Tanners sighed and leaned against a wall by the phone. The reports said that a flash of light came from the sky… and then a minivan ran over something. Someone, sorry. Since the EMTs weren't babbling about aliens it must be some unfortunate person… Selena straightened and scrubbed her arms down, donning gloves and watched the stretcher come in, with the trauma team swarming around the poor soul on the bed madly.

"We need ultrasound!"

"Get the CT scanner ready!"

"W-w-where am I…" the figure on the stretcher groaned.

"Ah… she's conscious!"

"Hon, that's a boy,"

Selena peered over, and only saw a bloodied mess of a man with a neck brace on. He had a pair of thick white glasses that were amazingly intact. The man whined when Selena ran over and took them off, holding the man still as the surgeons began to insert a chest tube.

"Hey there, can you tell me your name?" Selena asked the man gently, trying to calm him down.

"S-Szayel…" the man coughed weakly and then squirmed against his bonds. "MAKE IT STOP!"

"We're trying, we're trying," Selena told the man gently, glancing at the people with the ultrasound. "Internal bleeding?"

"Amazingly no. I could have sworn there was some but now… it's like something's healing him from the inside…"

"Nanobots you foolish imbeciles," Szayel muttered under his breath. The doctors assumed he was delirious.

"Still, he has a collapsed lung and head trauma," the head surgeon, Dr. Sans told Selena. She took her cue and stepped away as the unfortunate man was wheeled off to the operating room. Selena glanced down at the bloody pair of white glasses in her hands and sighed, offering a weary prayer for the mysterious man to be alright as she usually did. Force of habit… sometimes in medicine, divine intervention is required. Sometimes? More like daily.

Selena rushed off to her other duties around the hospital. Unfortunately, St. Luke's General Hospital was lacking in funds due to their generous tendencies to the poor of Coral City. The hospital was getting smaller, in order to buy more medical equipment. In fact, Selena had been assigned to go to City Hall to petition for more money, which annoyed the nurse greatly. Why couldn't a lawyer or something do that? It was her job to save lives, not talk to politicians. Such people only cared about money anyways.

Cold-heartedness aside, money talks. Especially when Selena had to gauge how much room they had in the hospital. She'd have to find one of the less ill patients and arrange for the patient to be moved elsewhere. Like a caring relative? Fat chance. Most of the people who came in here were off of the inner city streets, either very poor or homeless. Or, from broken families who didn't care. Yes, it was crass and politically incorrect to assume as much, but when little kids come in with exit wounds the size of navel oranges, you start to generalize at least a little bit. It takes a special kind of asshole to shoot a kid, and Selena personally wanted to strangle such people. Unfortunately, these kinds of people were the kinds that she had to deal with every bloody day.

Selena grumbled as she went to check the vitals of Thomas Gorwin, a seven year old boy who had endured three gunshot wounds to the stomach. How a seven year old had gunshot wounds Selena didn't want to know. As she went to look over the boy's vitals, his aunt and a minister cried and prayed over his body loudly. Selena felt a headache coming on as she resisted the urge to yell at the family members. They were in a time of extreme pain, best not to make it worse, right? Even if they were mad.

But something about the din wasn't right. Something was missing. Selena's brow furrowed as she tried to look at the boy's monitors. Unfortunately his aunt's enormous purse was blocking them, and Selena removed it.

The heart monitor showed a straight line, and Selena realized what sound she was missing. The aunt and minister were suddenly silent. Selena swallowed hard, her throat suddenly parched.

"Is he…" the aunt broke the silence.

"I-I'll have to get a doctor-"

"You should be able to tell right now! Is my nephew dead or not?" the woman snapped. Selena placed two fingers on his neck and found that it was cold.

"He's been dead for a bit now," she spoke softly, resisting the urge to add 'you would have noticed if you weren't so busy praying'

"You idiot doctors can't do anything anymore!" the woman screamed angrily at Selena. "Why should my taxpayer dollars go to something that doesn't work!" she ran out of the room sobbing. The minister gave Selena a stern look, as if the boy's death was her fault. Selena clenched and unclenched her fist slowly, trying to remain calm. Just a few more hours and you'll be off… just a few more hours. Then you can do whatever. Anything. Anything at all.

Selena sucked in some air and went to inform a doctor not busy performing brain surgery on the newest arrival that Thomas Gorwin was dead. To any other person, he would just be another dead body… but Selena remembered. Every one, every empty skull that haunted her sleep at night. All those who could not have been saved.

People think burnout in the medical field is from the long hours and unpleasant pay… no… people don't become nurses for the pay, or the hours. They come in wanting to save people… and some come out broken. Some can handle it, and they become the strong ones. As for Selena… she didn't know anymore.

It was as if she was surrounded by madness.

Chapter One End.

Inuyoshie's After the chapter special

Okay, remember what I said about funny stuff? Yeah, funnies come after the exposition. *sighs* oh well. I hope I portrayed this well. This is probably the field I'm going to end up going into after all. Yay… look what I have to look forward to… hehe. Right.

Some notes about this chapter: Sorry about the lack of Szayel-ness in it… these first five chapters help to set up some exposition about the OCs. Pay attention to their names… the names sound a lot like the Espada they shall be with. Szayel, Selena… okay, it's not as close as it could be, but still. Also Selena is a little split on the whole religion thing… I try to show this with Selena's inner mind contradicting her. Just to clarify that, so you're not all 'Hey! Wasn't she all 'we need miracles' earlier? Your eyes do not deceive you mah friend, it's just Selena is slightly messed up. But technically speaking, she's the normal one.

Anyways. I hope this was mildly enjoyable for you all. Review?


	3. Chapter 3: Still Doll

Savin' Me

By Inuyoshie

Chapter Three: Still Doll

The air was cold and dry. Soft tufts of snow drifted down onto some of the scummier streets of Coral City. A young woman padded along these streets, wiggling her bare toes in the centimeter or so of snow that blanketed the sidewalk to keep her toes from numbing. Laura had learned that trick early on, after her mother scolded her for walking barefoot. Back when Laura had shoes… and back when Laura's mother didn't take those brightly coloured pills that made her act stupid. Laura padded along, glancing at everything at once, looking for things of interest. She'd find shiny things and bring them back to her home… when she cared to go there.

Laura spotted a streak of light fall from the sky and land nearby, maybe a few blocks away. Excited, she began to run, slipping a few times on stealthy patches of ice. Finally, she got there. Behind a dumpster, lay a man. He looked nothing like the usual bums that fall asleep in the snow. This one was a little taller than her Laura guesstimated, with white skin and messy black hair. He wore a clean white uniform and looked like one of those fancy Victorian dolls that you find at Aldis that aren't for playing. Laura remembered having some before her mother sold them.

"Mister?" Laura asked the man softly, prodding his side with her bare foot. He looked waay too pretty to be a bum, or one of those scary men who sold 'sugar'. He kinda looked like some of her mother's employers… some of them were really pretty and rich. Usually on those nights Laura's mother came home more drunk than usual.

The man groaned slightly. Laura brightened.

"Mister!" she exclaimed, crouching down next to him. The man opened his eyes, and Laura sucked in a gulp of air. He had the prettiest eyes she had ever seen. They were an intense green with a swirl of blue and looked like the glass around the stained glass picture of Saint Paul at her church… but the pupil looked like a cat's…

"Girl…" the man groaned, sitting up slowly. There were red spots on the snow where the man's head rested a minute before. Laura frowned. Blood was icky. But he didn't seem to have any major injuries… but Laura wasn't a doctor. Doctors go to school.

"Mister, are you okay?" she asked quietly. The man glanced at her, and didn't answer, looking around sharply.

"Where is this?" he demanded, putting a hand up to his throat. Apparently there was something bad, because he frowned more.

"Coral City," Laura replied. "I'm Laura. Who are you?"

"My name is none of your concern, girl," the man replied coldly. Laura frowned.

"That wasn't very nice," she told him.

"I'm not a very nice person," he replied.

"Well, I guess that's honest," Laura remarked thoughtfully. She then smiled. "No, you're nice! Mean people lie, and since you tell the truth, that makes you nice!"

"Wha… how does that make sense?" the man scowled at Laura. Laura grinned.

"Come on, come on! It's almost dark, and if you stay here you'll get grabbed by a bum-snatcher! Those are icky people who like to hurt bums," Laura explained, grabbing the man's wrist and pulling him. He followed his footsteps a little shaky and dazed.

"Where are you taking me girl?" the man demanded.

"My work," she replied. "I work at a church serving God!" The man snorted. Laura chose to ignore it. "What's your name?"

"… I'll never get rid of you if I don't tell you," he muttered. "Ulquiorra Schiffer,"

"That's a funny name. Are you Mexican?" Laura asked.

"No. I'm an Arrancar," the man replied haughtily. Laura had no clue what that was. Perhaps it's something other kids learn in school. She'd have to ask Pastor T.

Laura pulled Ulquiorra over to a large church with creamy stone walls and richly decorated stained glass windows. The church seemed alien in the run down and dirty neighborhood, sticking out like some holy lightning rod.

Inside the church was warm and noisy. People were starting to gather for service in the rather large fellowship hall. The man stayed with Laura, even though he grumbled. Laura decided he was just a cranky kind of person, and giggled at this. Cranky people were fun. Making them smile was a challenge, but Laura liked challenges. Challenges were like playing Chopsticks on the organ.

A tall, thin man stepped out of the throng, dressed in a white robe with a green strip of cloth draped over his shoulders. The man was balding and had a thin, but welcoming face. His eyes were wide and a watery blue and his face seemed to be permanently smiling.

"Pastor T! Pastor T! I found an Arrancar!" Laura told the man giddily. Ulquiorra sighed softly. Pastor T caught the man's glance and chuckled, as if he got some joke that Laura didn't.

"Looks like our little Laura found a friend," he remarked.

"I'm not her friend," Ulquiorra replied coldly. Pastor T frowned. Laura shrugged.

"This is Ul…er, Ulqwi…er… Ulqui! This is Ulqui. Ulqui, this is Pastor T! He's my boss," Laura told Ulquiorra, who twitched at her mangling of his name.

"Laura, how about you run off and warm up the organs, okay," Pastor T told Laura gently. Laura nodded and ran off, grinning. She knew that Pastor T was going to like Ulqui. Pastor T liked everybody. Right?

Laura made it to the organ room and knelt down in front of a crucifix hanging on the wall of the room. She prayed quietly (praying loudly was awkward) for protection, and very politely asked God what to do with her new friend Ulquiorra. In all honesty, she could pronounce his name properly; she just thought Ulqui sounded cuter. And Ulquiorra looked scary, so maybe a cute name would detract from that.

And, if she annoyed him, he'd go away. She didn't want him to find out who she was. Laura wanted Ulquiorra to go away. Laura wanted Ulquiorra to stay. But that would hurt Ulquiorra, hurting people is bad.  
But deep down inside, Laura felt warm around Ulquiorra. Deep inside… she wanted a friend.

Amazing Grace never sounded so pretty. The congregation vaguely wondered if Pastor T had finally hired a professional instead of grandfathering in that whore's child.

Inuyoshie's after the chapter special

Okay, this one took me a while to write. I had to decide what Laura's mom was hooked on, how she would describe it… and writing Laura is difficult for me. Which is odd, 'cuz her personality is vaguely based off of my best friend.

Laura's story is a little religious. Which brings Mr. Nihilism into some conflict there. XD… Inu likes conflict.

Anyways, a review for poor Inu?


	4. Chapter 4: Frostbite

Savin' Me

By Inuyoshie

Chapter Four: Frostbite

"Stella! What is this? You're not on the honor roll this quarter! You fucking retard, how could you not make it?"

It used to hurt. Now it doesn't.

"I shell out hundreds of dollars for you to go to this fancy private school and this is how you reward me? We're not that well off you know! Your father didn't leave us with that much!"

She didn't used to hate him. Now that he was dead, everything was his fault.

"Do you hear me? Answer me!"

"Yes," Stella Royes replied dully. Her mother, Miss Lynn Royes snorted, her cold blue eyes flicking between Stella's report card and the girl.

"Fix it. I don't care what you have to do, just fix it." Lynn snarled.

"Yes ma'am," Stella replied dully, walking to the stairwell.

"Where are you going? Take off your coat this instant," Lynn barked. Stella nodded, silently discarding a slightly worn looking black jacket. Her father had bought it for her, before he died. It had been too large on her then. Now it barely fit. Stella's pale hands reached to put the coat on a hanger and her pristine sweater slipped, showing an angry red line… Stella's eyes widened and she pulled her hand down, tugging the sleeve down. Lynn, now having Stella cornered, pulled out an envelope. Stella paled slightly. It was the electric bill.

Never mind the fact that Stella went to one of the best schools in the state, which included a four year college education in its program. Never mind the fact that Lynn had a lovely, cushy job as a secretary for some CEO downtown. Never mind the fact that Stella barely went on the TV, owned no video games and didn't use her phone very often. Never mind the fact that Lynn was the one who used more appliances than Stella, the high bills were all her fault.

Stella's father's gambling habits were her fault.

Stella's father's death was her fault.

Stella's bad grades were her fault.

The death of Stella's best friend Ester was her fault.

Everything.

Every damn thing.

Stella felt sick as she listened to Lynn rant about the finances. Her stomach coiled up in a small ball, and her vision blurred from the onslaught of negative thoughts streaming through. She wanted to make Lynn shut up. She wanted everything to be quiet. She wanted to be alone.

Stella walked away.

"Don't you walk away from me you stupid little cunt!" Lynn screamed. Stella ignored her, running upstairs into her room, and closing the door. Stella locked it three times, using two locks her mother didn't know about yet.

Stella's room was fairly ordinary. It was large, had a fluffy beige carpet and a cranberry coloured bedspread. Some posters hung on the walls, a few paintings she had done in art class, and a poster for a band she liked. Several bookshelves lined with books stood against a wall. In a far corner was Stella's computer, with a squishy chair in front of it. Her cat Lynx lay on the chair, sleeping. Pale sunlight streamed in through the large windows next to her bed, illuminating the lace trim of her pillows.

All of this was ignored. Stella fumbled under her bed, pulling out a cedar box. It smelled strongly of cigars, and her father's aftershave. Inside the box was a picture of her father, and of Ester, and an old fashioned shaving blade. Stella ran her long pale fingers over the blade's wooden handle, flipping it open with a satisfying swish. The edge was quiet sharp, Stella sharpened it compulsively. Stella stared at her arm, pushing the sleeve up.

She started cutting for the same reason several other people do- a part of her wanted someone to know what she was going through. The earlier cuts were deep, but high up on her wrist, harder to hide. But soon, it turned into something else. Every time the cold metal lay on her skin, her heart rate sped up. Every time she flicked her wrist, a line of red drew across her pale skin, looking oddly beautiful, and a rush of chemicals exploded through her blood, giving a sort of thrill. It was possibly the same rush felt during the Strangling Game played by young teens these days, only this one was artistic. Stella was very careful about it, keeping gauze on hand at all times, and being careful to eliminate all signs of evidence. Stella wanted everything to be quiet. She wanted to die. However, she wasn't going to do it by cutting herself, that was an unpleasant and showy way to die. Too slow. Stella's method of choice would be poisoning, but ever since her guidance councilor had seen Stella's earlier cuts and called Lynn about them, Lynn had locked up the medicine cabinet. After all, if Stella died, that would look bad on Lynn's parenting skills. Stella snorted with contempt, setting the bloodied blade aside. She needed some air. Carefully cleaning her tools, Stella pulled on her boots and a sweater, before sneaking down the stairs. Luckily, Lynn was listening to her iPod and reading a catalogue, so Stella was able to sneak out.

Stella began running. She ran through snow, not ice, being lucky enough to live a few blocks away from an empty plot of land. Come summer, a house would be erected, but until then Stella dashed through the snow, stopping when she came to a small river that wound through town.

Drowning was the other solution.

Stella wasn't going to do it right away. She'd chicken out as soon as she felt the cold water close above her head. But around January, after finals, she'd do it. She'd come straight to this spot after school, and get in the water, and take a nap. And never wake up.

For the time being, Stella decided on a different approach. She found her favourite snow bank and lay down on it. She stared up at the sky thoughtfully. The air smelled like snow. The sky was a thick, monotonous grey. Perhaps a few patches of translucent clouds shuddered here and there, but the sky was mainly thick. Little specks of snow began to meander down, and Stella smiled slightly, taking off her boots and socks. She wiggled her bare toes in the snow, embracing the burning feeling that followed. Her limbs were already feeling like pins were pricking them. Stella settled. As she was settling, her arm bumped something.

Curious, Stella moved her arm again. The thing was still here. Stella stuck her bare hand into the snow, feeling. It was solid… kinda round… a branch maybe? Curious, Stella pulled at it. No, it was too thick to be a branch… to heavy… to flesh like. After a few tugs, Stella saw what she was tugging on. It was an arm.

Quickly, Stella began brushing snow away. Sure enough, she was beginning to uncover features. Feeling like an archeologist, Stella found shoulders, and a face. It was a man, with curly blackish brown hair, and a goatee. The man's lips were blue. Stella scowled. She wasn't going to cause another person to die.

"Hey, mister," she remarked softly. "Wake up,"

The man twitched, but made no other move.

"Mister, wake up!" she insisted, brushing off more snow. "Mister… MISTER!" Getting annoyed, Stella scanned her mind for a way to wake him up. Well, theoretically blocking off airflow would wake someone up… but what if she smothered him? Stella sighed and reached forward, pinching the man's nose shut. She then looked around for a branch with which to poke the man.

"Nnn…" a nasal groan came from the man. Stella stared at him. His eyes were open, and on her, a haunting grey colour. "What are you doing?"

Stella pulled her hand away, and the man rubbed his red nose. "Ow," he muttered.

"Sorry," Stella muttered, sitting lotus style next to the man. The man shuddered, and stared down at himself with an air of disgust.

"Snow…? This makes… no sense. Gah, I'm tired," he muttered, yawning.

"You can't go back to sleep," Stella insisted suddenly, her eyes widening. "You'll die. Hypothermia isn't a good way to go,"

"You'd know," the man remarked. Stella's eyes widened. How could he know? Was this God telling her not to kill herself? "I mean, you have no shoes on," Oh. He was just noticing something. Stella sighed softly.

"That's because I don't like shoes," Stella lied calmly.

"Oh,' the man shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Are you homeless?" Stella asked suddenly. The man blinked, thinking.

"I don't know… perhaps…" he mused.

"Do you have a bed?" Stella asked him sharply. The man shook his head. Impulsively, Stella stood up and put her boots on. "Come with me,"

"Huh?" the man frowned as Stella tugged on his sleeve. "What…"

"You're coming to my house, at least to have some hot chocolate," Stella insisted. Something in her just… his eyes looked so sad. The man shrugged and stood up, lumbering behind Stella as she led him across the snowy field. "What's your name?"

"Stark Coyote," the man replied lazily.

"Coyote? That's an interesting last name," Stella remarked. "I'm Stella Royes,"

"Hm. Charmed," Stark remarked distractedly. Stella tugged Stark along, back the way she came. It didn't occur to her what Lynn may say until Stella was halfway inside the building.

Honestly?

Stella didn't care about anything anymore. Just making sure this man didn't die. Something about him just…

"You sit here," Stella remarked, ushering Stark over to a couch. Before he sat down however, Lynn stormed in.

"What is this?" she demanded in a more refined manner than usual.

"I found him. His name is Stark. He almost died." Stella replied blankly.

"You picked up some trash off the streets?" Lynn fumed, dropping her polite, motherly persona instantly. Stella frowned, her eyes flashing slightly.

"If we kick him out, he will die. Would you like that, Mother?" Stella asked darkly. Lynn paled, not used to Stella actually saying something of meaning to her. "How would your church friends like that? Would you be able to sleep at night?"

Lynn narrowed her eyes.

"You…" she hissed, sending Stark a glare. "Get him out of those clothes; I don't want him ruining my furniture,"

Stella nodded, running upstairs to get some clothes. It was hard to be fast, because her limbs burned, a telltale sign of frostbite. Stella wiggled her toes quickly to make the feeling go away. She grabbed some of her father's old clothes and handed them to Stark. "If you want to change in the bathroom, it's over there," she remarked softly. "I'll be back,"

A few minutes later, when Stella was in the kitchen, carefully cooking some milk, Stark stepped in, wearing some black jeans and a red sweater. Some considerable colour was returning to his cheeks, and Stella smiled slightly. Stark glanced around the kitchen quietly, watching Stella stir the milk.

"What are you making?" he asked calmly. Now that they were inside a warm room, Stark's voice sounded nicer, slightly deeper. Stella glanced back at him. He wasn't bad looking…

"I'm making hot chocolate," she replied, opening a canister of chocolate powder and spooning several generous amounts in the bottom of two mugs. After pouring the hot milk and stirring, Stella handed Stark a mug carefully. "Blow on it, or you'll burn your tongue,"

Stark obeyed, drinking the chocolate quietly as he watched Stella clean up in the kitchen. Stella finished and glanced at Stark again.

He looked like her father.

Stella felt her stomach churn again. Was that really the reason she saved him? Because he looked like…

Stella turned away, and stared pensively at her chocolate. It didn't look so appetizing anymore. The insides of Stella's mouth felt disgusting and slimy. A hand on her shoulder startled Stella out of her reverie. Stella stared up at Stark silently, and their eyes met.

For the first time since Ester died, Stella felt like she could connect with someone. The man's eyes, those beautiful grey orbs, conveyed one thing and one thing only.

Loneliness.

Inuyoshie's after the chapter special

Sorry if that seemed a little jerky. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this chapter… there is a lot of emotion in here. Not fun emotion either. I've had friends go through depression, and have gone through minor bought of it myself… it's not a pleasant feeling. It's not a rational feeling either. So yeah… poor Stella. Hopefully a cuddly narcoleptic will make her feel better.

I mean seriously. Stark is like a giant friggin' teddy bear. /

Anyways.

So, review?


	5. Chapter 5: I picked him up at

Savin' Me

By Inuyoshie

Chapter Five: I picked him up at the Post Office

Jo was having a good morning.

She didn't have school today. There was a fresh layer of powdery snow on the ground. She actually woke up to the alarm, to one of her favourite songs. The icing on the cake however, was when Jo slipped into her fluffy slippers and sauntered down the creaky wooden stairs to the kitchen to find a note from her father informing her that he was going to be gone for a week.

Of course, the note also said that Jo was to buy him another bottle of booze, good booze, and this time, like some Smirnoff or something. He had left a bejie to pay for it. In Dadspeak, that meant 'buy me a lot of expensive alcohol'. Jo took the bill and tucked it in her camisole, sauntering over to the kitchen to grab herself a bowl of Wheaties. $100 would be good for some bills, Jo was thinking specifically the Internet- she needed a connection for many of her school projects.

After getting showered and dressed, Jo decided to take a swim. She gathered her favourite towel, her various toiletries for the changing room and bundled up, tying her rubber boots and stepping outside with relish. The snow was soft and crumbly under her feet, and felt satisfying as she hurried over to her truck.

Jo's truck used to be her father's. It was old, the kind of truck that didn't get to its age by being a pushover. Jo disliked new cars anyways, they smelled funny. This truck's cab smelled like tobacco and breath mints, which was an oddly comforting combination. Jo turned on the heat and closed her door, cranking up the radio and turning the ignition. Once she was going, Jo drove calmly to the Rec center, singing along softly to the song on the radio. As she drove, she passed the post office. Remembering the Internet bill, Jo pulled over and pulled out the pertinent envelope, stepping gingerly out of the car.

As she was about to walk into the Post Office, she noticed a figure slumped up against the stairs. Someone had obviously dragged him there. The figure was covered in snow, with strands of blue found only in Crayola boxes sticking out of the snow on top of his head. Jo stared at the guy, frowning. Someone took the effort to pull him over by the stairs but didn't bother to wake him up, or take him to a hospital or something? Although Jo knew that St. Luke's General Hospital was struggling, she would have at least done something. Stupid society. Jo grumbled, walking into the Post Office and ranting about stupid people in her head. Even though the guy was probably some bum, or an alcoholic, or mentally ill or something, Jo felt for him. She had been forced to sleep outside before like a dog. It's not fun, not at all. The Boxcar Children is a load of bullshit.

It occurred to Jo as she was placing a stamp on her bill that who was she to bitch about stupid society when she herself had done nothing. But taking on this guy would be stupid, what if he was some rapist or creeper or something? Jo gnawed on her lip as she got in line, wishing the people in front of her would hurry up. The air felt too hot. Too many people talking. Jo glanced around, wanting to read something. She read some US Postal posters, like some cute ones talking about their flat Rate Boxes of Doom, and rolled her eyes. In waiting, she tried to ignore the babble of the surrounding populous, but failed. A fierce headache grew, putting Jo in a fierce disposition when she got to the counter.

"Excuse me, miss!" Jo turned around to see a middle aged woman rush over by her, almost overrun by packages. "Please could you let me cut in? I have to get these packages out by eight and…"

Jo glanced down at her watch in annoyance. It was five minutes to eight. Jo glanced then at the woman and the hopeless look on her face, and then sighed.

"Here lady," she muttered, stepping aside. The woman almost looked like she wanted to cry for happiness as she dumped the pile of parcels on the counter. Jo watched with an odd sense of fascination as the woman shelled out money for shipping, quirking a brow at all the resin and metal Jesusfish hanging from her purse. Finally the woman turned to Jo.

"Thank you," she gasped, looking very relived and happy. She then fished out a small candy from her purse and handed it to Jo. Jo took it with a quirked brow. "God bless!" she smiled at Jo, rushing off. Jo rolled her eyes. Freaking Jesusfreaks.

She glanced down at the candy (a "TestaMint") and unwrapped it, curious. Inside was a soft creamy candy, and a slip of paper.

_But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him_? -_1 John, 3:17_

Jo walked outside the post office and saw the guy was still there.

Mind you, she wasn't a huge Christian, but she did believe that sometimes the universe gives you hints. She has had several hints before, fortuitous happenstances that are difficult to explain. Jo took this Jesuslady as a hint from the Universe and walked up to the guy.

"Hey, mister," she remarked, poking him. Some snow fell off, and the guy shifted. Sighing, Jo grabbed a hold of the guy's arm and started dragging him.

People stared. Honestly, Jo didn't care. Let them stare; she was doing more than they would ever do. She dragged the man to her truck, opened up the passenger-side door and pushed him in, brushing as much snow as possible off of him. Then Jo got in on her side.

The man next to her was odd. He was wearing more like a vest thing than a shirt, with rolled up sleeves and a collar but not buttons, and it barely extended beyond his pecs. He had a nice set of abs though… and wore loose white pants, kinda like what MC Hammer wore. The man had electric blue hair, all messy and croppy. A subtle swoop of teal eye shadow accented the man's eyes, contrasting to his slightly tanned skin.

"Boy, you're fucking crazy," Jo remarked, turning the heat up even more. The man didn't respond, until she turned the car on. Being an old truck, it started with a healthy roar, causing her stranger to jump up, eyes wide and teeth bared.

"What the hell?" He growled, glancing around tensely, as if he thought someone was going to attack him. When he spotted Jo (who was pulling out of her parking space calmly) he snarled. "Who the hell are you?"

"Easy trooper," Jo remarked calmly, glancing at the man. He had pretty blue eyes. "I'm Jo. You're an idiot,"

"Wha-how…" the man narrowed his eyes, and then shivered.

"Dude, you're wearing less clothes than the girls in Las Vegas, and it's the middle of winter," Jo clarified. "In fact, here," she took off her coat and draped it over the man forcibly, giving him a glare that dared him to take it off. "That will warm you up."

The man seemed to settle slightly, holding the warm jacket close to his bare skin, and then began watching the world around move, frowning.

"What is this?" he demanded.

"It's a car," Jo replied, as if it should be obvious. "A truck to be exact. And that white fluffy stuff? Yeah, that's snow. It's cold,"

"I know that!" the man snapped.

"Well excuse me," Jo grumbled. "What the hell were you doing sleeping outside in the cold wearing little clothes anyway? Had a rough night?"

"No… I was fighting… and those shinigami… Nnoitera…" the man muttered. Jo glanced at him. Great, now he was muttering gibberish.

"Look, you want me to drop you off at a hospital"?" she asked him coldly. The man furrowed his brow, glancing around.

"… No," he muttered. "That would…" he felt up to his face and snarled. "Great. Who are you woman?"

"Jo, I told you. Who are you?" Jo asked.

"Grimmjow Jaggarjack," he replied frostily.

"Weird name. French?" she asked.

"Huh?" Grimmjow blinked.

"Never mind," Jo pulled into the parking lot of the Rec center. "Got any relatives nearby?"

"No," Grimmjow shook his head. Jo sighed heavily, and glanced down at the slip of paper from her TestaMint.

"You can crash at my place for a week, after that you'd better get out," she informed the man coldly.

Grimmjow stared at her.

"You… I don't need your help," he grumbled.

"Okay, you wanna play like that? Go right ahead, and freeze your ass off," Jo informed Grimmjow coldly. "I offered my help, take it or leave it,"

"Why the hell would you help me anyways?" Grimmjow snapped.

"It's called compassion, fucktard!" Jo retorted. Grimmjow stared. "Now, I'm going for a swim. If you want to stay, you can stay in the car or follow me. If you don't want to stay, then go the fuck away,"

With this, Jo grabbed her bed and stalked out of her car, slamming the car door shut. After a few moments, Grimmjow stepped out of the car as well, following. Jo sighed inwardly, but didn't say anything.

Jo quickly walked to the changing room, ignoring all the looks from people on the way. Some of the looks were curiosity, some astonishment, some simply checking Grimmjow out. Jo would admit that he was pretty, but wasn't willing to go any farther. Pretty men were a trap that her mother fell into… damn. There went her good morning.

"You don't follow me beyond this point," Jo told Grimmjow coldly just before she was about to enter the girls' changing room. "You go into the pool. Got it?"

"I'm not a fucking dog," Grimmjow grumbled.

"Whatever." Jo rolled her eyes, stepping in. Grimmjow wandered off. Jo found her favourite locker and began undressing quickly.

"Jo!" Luisa, one of Jo's friends, ran over. Luisa taught self defense lessons at the Rec center, and Jo admired her greatly. Jo smiled at Luisa.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Who was that guy?" Luisa asked, curious.

"His name is Grimmjow, I picked him up at the Post Office," Jo replied calmly. Luisa snorted in laughter. "No really! He was unconscious by the steps,"

"You're taking in bums?" Luisa frowned at Jo. "That's just asking for trouble,"

"Compassion," Jo remarked.

"Jo, you're not a compassionate person," Luisa pointed out. Jo deflated slightly. "Oh, I mean that in a good way silly," she amended. Jo smiled again. "Anyways, the instant he gives you trouble, you let me know,"

"Thanks," Jo nodded, pulling on her one piece.

"So, you trying out for the swim team?" Luisa asked Jo curiously. Jo shifted.

"I dunno…" She mumbled, shifting her swimsuit to cover a bruise on her shoulder that hadn't yet healed.

"You should," Luisa encouraged Jo. "I mean really. You're vicious in the water. The team could really use your talent,"

"Thanks," Jo smiled, feeling her cheeks burn.

"Well, get out there," Luisa told Jo. Jo nodded and ran to the showers, turning the water on as cold as she could and rinsing, before stepping into the humid air of the pool area. She could see Grimmjow's shock of blue hair sitting in the stands and smiled slightly, stretching and doing a seated dive into the water. Several laps later, Jo felt much better.

Swimming was very important to Jo. It was a full body work out, and calming. In the water, human emotions don't matter. The water is always supporting, if you just trust it. It surrounds you as you move through it, and in swimming, Jo became one with it.

Jo glanced down at her currently clear skin as she surfaced for air. A sick part of her knew it wouldn't stay clear for long. In seven days, her father was going to be back home, with another suspiciously large sum of money, possibly another girlfriend, and definitely another large bottle of alcohol.

And they both would drown.

Inuyoshie's After the Chapter Special

I've been getting some requests for moar Grimmkitty action, so here he be. Once again, this chapter is focused on Jo's suckky life, but next time we visit this story, we'll get Grimmjow's look on things. It shall be fun.

Once again, religion shows up. I guess that's what I get for going to Bible Class so much. T-T I was lazy and located the verse featured above at a website called bibletopics. If you're curious, just add a dot com at the end. If not, then yer not.

If you saw something more than friendship between Jo and Luisa, you're not imagining things. Why? Because I seem to enjoy yuri. Speaking of yuri, if any readers out there are Nnoitera fans, I'll warn you now, I'm taking Nnoitera out of the five. I'm replacing him with Halibel, because I cannot see Nnoitera working with the OC I have set up with him. In fact, he'd probably be the proverbial oil to the fire in that situation. Oil = bad.

So yeah. Hooray! Also, if any of you happen to be in a similar situation to Jo's and find that I am not representing the unpleasantries of having an alcoholic da, please tell me. I'm basing this off of what I have seen, heard and read, and I could be incorrect.

Other than that, thank you very much for reading this~ Please review if you have the time.

Ah, final note: a benji is slang for a Benjamin, which is a one hundred dollar bill. I may or may not have been clear on that, also it's possible people who are not American are reading this.


	6. Chapter 6:Two girls rolled up in one

Savin' Me

By Inuyoshie

Chapter Five: Like Two Girls Rolled up in One

"Ana darling, can you come down here?"

Ana Liebel blinked sleepily, glancing at the clock next to her bed. The numbers 1:03 glared at her redly and she groaned.

"Coming," she called out sleepily, sliding into a pair of slippers and reluctantly shucking the warm coverlet of her bed. After a moment, Ana carefully padded down the stairs of her parents' home. She stopped in the stairwell and stared at the scene in her living room.

A figure was sitting on the couch, wrapped in blankets. All Ana could see of her was a shock of blonde hair, and bluish green eyes staring out. They seemed to fix on Ana, watching. Ana carefully stepped forward.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I found her in the backyard," replied her father, a rather kindly attorney of law with balding hair and a warm look about him.

"The backyard?" Ana blinked, confused. "How'd she get there?"

"It's the craziest thing," her younger brother Brian exclaimed. "She fell from the sky!"

"Really?" Ana glanced at the woman again. "Weird,"

"Yeah! She must be… like an alien or something!" Brian grinned. Ana sighed and shook her head.

"No, I doubt that," she told Brian, tousling her hair and yawning. "So what are we going to do with her?"

"We can't take her to a hospital… not if she randomly fell from the sky. And questioning her now would be cruel… so… could she room up with you Ana?" her father asked her in a way that sounded like a request but really wasn't. Ana blinked, and then nodded.

"Sure thing," she agreed, walking up to the woman. "Come on sister, let's go to my room,"

The woman gave a slight nod, standing and walking with Ana up the stairs with surprising strength. Ana had expected her to be weaker… perhaps just by the way she was huddled in the blankets. Ana led the woman into her room and sighed, turning on a light.

"There's a bathroom over there," she indicated a door to the far side of her room. She then began digging through her closet, looking for some sweaters. The woman nodded, sitting on a loveseat in Ana's room quietly as Ana pulled out a rather large aqua sweater and handed it to the woman. "I don't know if I have any pants that will fit you,"

"That's fine," the woman replied in a soft voice, sliding off her blanket. The woman was dressed in strange attire, with a white top that extended from her nose to just under her nipples, exposing everything else. Ana felt an odd flush of heat spread on her cheeks and she turned away modestly.

"Um… what's your name?" she asked.

"Halibel," the woman replied, putting a hand to her face and feeling. Ana watched with interest as the woman frowned, discarding her top and leaving her rather topless. Halibel quickly pulled the sweater on, rubbing her arms to generate warmth. Ana smiled gently at her.

"IF you need anything, let me know," she offered. Halibel crossed her legs (she was wearing weird pants too- a white baggy kind Ana had never seen before) and frowned.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Coral City, Ohio," Ana replied. "Uh… the United States of America… planet Earth?"

"I'm not an alien," Halibel remarked. Ana felt her face flush with shame.

"Ah… sorry," she muttered.

"That's… fine," Halibel amended, looking around. "You are Ana, yes?"

"Yeah…. You can sleep on the bed if you'd like," Ana remarked. Halibel blinked, and frowned at Ana.

"Where will you sleep?" she asked.

"Where you're sitting," Ana replied simply, standing up and going over to her closet to pull out a pillow and some blankets. "See? I'm all set,"

"If you insist," Halibel replied, walking over to the bed and sitting on it, tipping slightly as she squished into the mattress. Ana giggled slightly. Halibel sighed.

"Sorry… that was just funny," she murmured. Halibel smiled slightly and righted herself.

"You have a soft bed," she remarked.

"Yeah… I got it last year," Ana nodded, sitting on the loveseat. Halibel pulled the blankets up and made a soft surprised noise (possibly caused by the warmth) and settled. Ana stood up and turned out the light, crashing on the loveseat soon after.

Ana woke up to a crash.

Sitting up, she looked around. For a moment, she was disorientated, and then remembered last night… when she saw Halibel looking down at a broken picture. Halibel glanced back at Ana with a slight frown on her face.

"My apologies," she remarked formally. "I was merely hoping to look at it and…"

"It's fine," Ana smiled, reaching out to touch it. Unfortunately, she cut her finger. Pulling the finger back quickly, Ana stuck it in her mouth, wincing. Halibel reached out and carefully pulled out the picture.

The picture was taken in front of a lake. It had Ana in it, sitting next to a brown haired boy with bright blue eyes and freckles.

"Who is he?" Halibel asked curiously. Ana peered over.

"Oh that? That's David. He's my boyfriend," Ana gave a soft little smile at this. Halibel gave Ana an interested glance, and then her stomach let out a soft growl. "Come on, let's get you fed,"

Ana led Halibel downstairs quickly, dashing into the kitchen.

Ana's mother was a short woman, with black hair pulled back into a bun at all times. She had a rather severe look on her face, and looked like she should be a librarian. In all honesty, her mom was the nicest woman Ana knew, and made mean pancakes.

"So this is our mysterious stranger from the sky," she remarked, glancing at Halibel. "Charmed to meet you, I'm Lea,"

"Halibel," Halibel replied. "Tia Halibel,"

"Well then, Miss Halibel, please have a seat," Ana's mother told Halibel, setting down a large platter of pancakes in the center of the table. She then sat down, along with Brian, Ana and her father, and they began to say grace. Halibel watched silently as they ate. Ana piled several pancakes on Halibel's plate with a smile, as she ate.

After breakfast, Ana pulled Halibel over to her car, a decent looking van, and got her inside. "Let's get you some clothes, okay?"

Halibel shrugged and smiled slightly.

Inuyoshie's after the chapter special

Hells to the yeah mah fweands!

How are you all doing?

I'm okay.

This chapter has taken me a while to write. Originally, Ana was Natalia and she was paired with Nnoitera. But… I didn't like the way that worked out. So I thought, hell, let's bring in Halibel! She'll be called Halibel until they (Hali and Ana) are comfortable enough to call her Tia. That will take a bit. Jah.  
So this is yuri.

You look at Ana's household and think 'damn, she has a nice family! There's nothing wrong here at all!'

…Hehehe… that's what you think.

Review?


	7. Chapter 7: We're Only Human

Savin Me

By Inuyoshie

Chapter Six: We're Only Human

"For just 18 dollars a month, that's only sixty cents a day, you could help save a life. We'll send you a photo of the animal you've saved, a free wristband and a free T-shirt if you call now…"

Szayel opened his eyes.

He was trapped in hell.

The first thing he saw was a blank ceiling. Then he saw the TV suspended over his bed, with some very sad looking canine staring soulfully at him. Szayel looked down, noticing that his glorious body was marred, with tubes and IVs coming out of it, wearing ugly clothes. He was on a slightly cushioned dissection table… no, it was a hospital bed. Several monitors purred next to him. A window let in weak sunlight. A (blurry) fake plant sat in a corner. A (blurry) crucifix hung on the wall, a dull (blurry) bronze. Why was (blurry) Jesus only wearing a loincloth anyways? The room stank of disinfectant with an undertone of death and cheap food. Szayel curled his lip as he tried to feel for his nanobots. There were a few… but his reitsu was off, so small… why was everything so blurry? Szayel felt on the table next to him, and froze when he felt a familiar rectangular object.

His glasses.

He quickly slammed them on and realized that his body felt heavy, disgusting, the air felt gross, there was no reitsu, and he was human.

Thinking quickly, Szayel replayed all of the events he remembered. He was fighting… that captain Kurotsuji… Nemu… the sword… the centuries of pain and aging…. Szayel shuddered at the memory. He remembered a sick feeling, a distorted pain that shredded his soul particles… and then he was falling in a streak of light… he impacted… physics, bones crushed, nanobots started working… by all rights, he should be dead. But the nanobots… they used themselves up, spent repairing Szayel's liquefied bones. Then a machine was coming, bright lights…. Then he was on a stretcher, people yelling, talking, panicking, pulling him along, rolling on, a girl, no, a woman, asking his name… her reitsu felt soft and feathery…

The door opened. Szayel perked slightly. There she was, that woman. She was about medium height, with reddish brown hair that had an attractive curl to it. The woman bore hazel eyes that scanned Szayel quickly, and a soft mouth that smiled gently.

"Hey, you're awake," she greeted Szayel, walking over and picking up a clipboard next to his bed. She read the contents quickly. "How are you feeling?"

"Annoyed. May I leave?" Szayel asked, figuring he'd use manners to deal with these savage humans.

The woman chuckled lightly.

"Hon, you still are seriously injured. People don't just get run over by a truck and then walk away," she pointed out. "Also, you've been through five surgeries, and need to recover. Your immune system is shot." She sighed. "I'll have to go get your medications…"

"Medications?" Szayel stared at the woman. What was she blithering on about? He was Szayel Aporro Granz, the Octava Espada! He was perfection in the flesh! No injury could fall him, he was immortal! "I don't need any of that!"

"Hon, you're only human. You need some rest," the woman told Szayel. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Stop calling me that infernal name," he spat at her.

"Very well then, Mr. Granz," she replied, still keeping an even tone. Szayel frowned. Usually humans would get all irate at him once he got irate to them. She was staying rather level. "My name is Selena Tanners,"

"Well, Miss Tanners, I would like to be out of this place as soon as possible," Szayel informed her.

"Very well, we'll see how you feel in a few hours. Let me know if you need anything," the nurse told him, acting as if she hadn't heard. She then walked on out.

Szayel watched her go. He didn't realize that she was the only form of human communication that didn't make him not want to retch afterwards.

That's right. He had three other nurses. One of them was a male Hispanic nurse named Jose. Jose was okay, but Szayel didn't like him. The other two nurses were sisters, the Carlx sisters. One was Susie, the other Jane. Both were nitwits and possibly had three brain cells between them.

Luckily for Szayel, (or unluckily) the television was placed on a channel called Animal Planet, and there was a marathon of a show about the planet earth and its creatures. Szayel found this mildly entertaining. He never really cared that much for animals, simply because not many survived in Hueco Mundo. The small hollows were vaguely interesting, their internal organs no more than grainy sketches. These animals probably had more meat and organs to them. Thinking about organs made Szayel think about his lab, and he sighed softly. Yes, even he, the glorious Szayel Aporro Granz, had some feelings. Just… minor ones. Very minor...

And then Miss Selena came back in the room, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"Okay, the others don't want to talk to you, and this is going against protocol," she sighed softly. "But seriously. I can accept a drunken man who has glass splinters in his skull acting rudely. I can understand a woman going into labour acting rudely. But really? You're stuck here for a while, and we're going to have to deal with each other. This hospital takes in anyone and everyone out of the good of its collective heart, so could you cut us some freaking slack?"

All of this was said in a gentle, firm voice. She looked at him. She stared into Szayel's eyes. She scraped his soul. For a few minutes, Szayel felt like a specimen, trapped under a glass slide.

Who the hell was this woman and how could she just stare at him like that?

"Hello? Mister? Are you alright?" she asked worriedly, running gloved hands across his head and chest.

"No no I'm fine," Szayel replied, feeling strange with her… touching him, but other nurses have touched him before (and in more embarrassing ways). "I'm simply…"

"Bored, confined, frustrated, confused slightly addled in the head?" Selena supplied. Szayel stared at her.

"All except for the addled part. I am in no means addled at all. Ever," Szayel replied with a smug smirk and a slight flip of the hair.

"… I see, very well then," Selena smiled slightly. Szayel noticed a slight difference in this smile, it seemed to light up her whole face instead of the other smiles that appeared to be merely molded plastic. "If I get a break, I wouldn't mind spending some time in here to ease your boredom, if you gave us a break,"

"Deal," Szayel replied calmly. He needed something with which to entertain himself. And being polite to imbeciles isn't that hard, he did it all the time in Las Noches. Szayel smirked lightly as he watched Selena walk out of the room.

Then he shifted. The bed was damn uncomfortable.

Inuyoshie's after the chapter special

I'mma on a roll!

So yeah. I'd like to dedicate this chapter in loving memory of my grandfather, Robert (Rob). He passed away this morning at seven o'clock (central time). He was incredibly talented, intelligent, artistic and just epic all around, always picking up new hobbies no matter how old he got. He used to be a Lutheran pastor and for as long as he could participate in his local church's services. When I was little, Mom Dad, Gramma , Grampa and I would go camping, and I looked forward to sitting around the fire, singing family songs. He played the guitar really well and always brought these metal tubes that made the fire turn pretty colours.

So yeah. Grandpa was epic. I was going to dedicate one of my other chapters to him, and then realized all of them were yaoi. That would not be so kosher… so here we be.

In story related matters, Szayel is stuck listening to an ASPCA add. I almost feel bad for him. No offense to any ASPCA lovers out there, what they do is cool and all, but seriously? Yeah. Szayel would probably kick one of those puppies, just sayin'. Not that he'd tell his sexy and intelligent nurse Selena that. Oh no, of course not. *eyebrow waggle*

So yeah. Merreh Christmas, Swinging Solstice, Grooovy Quanza and some other stuff to y'all. And, if any of you want an after the Christmas break one shot, I'd be willing to oblige. I do a variety of fandoms.


	8. Chapter 8: Cheery Cleaning Song

Savin' Me.

By Inuyoshie

Crystallized snow crunched underneath Ulquiorra's feet as he walked down a dirty sidewalk. A smooth piece of paper with an address scrawled on it lay in between Ulquiorra's fingers. The address was of the female who found him, the girl Laura. The idiot pastor man said she wasn't a little girl anymore, but she was so short and small it was hard to think of her as a woman. She was a delicate little doll… Ulquiorra could snap her in half even in his deplorable human form.

Weak as she was, the Laura girl may be of use to him. The air was getting colder as the sun sank into the west, and Ulquiorra did not have a place to stay. He could easily go into someone's home and force the human inside to take him up for the evening, but chose not to. Humans were annoying.

Their arrangement of housing was confusing. Ulquiorra finally managed to find the building where the Laura girl lived. He climbed the rickety looking wooden steps to the porch and approached the door with a flaking letter B painted on it. After a pause, Ulquiorra knocked on the door.

After a few minutes, Laura answered the door, looking worried. She then looked confused at Ulquiorra's presence.

"What's wrong, Ulqui?" she asked.

"I need a place to sleep at night," he replied. Laura blinked, and then stepped aside.

"Come on in!" she smiled slightly, closing the door behind Ulquiorra and running down the small hall in the house. Water stains stretched across the ceiling. Ulquiorra kept any snide comments inside as he followed the energetic girl quietly into the living room.

The living room was a total mess with papers strewn all over the place, cigarette stubs and beer cans littering the worn carpet. An old TV was plugged into a corner, a fish tank with some dead goldfish in it sat deplorably on a table next to the TV. The couch looked well used, with a rather ill looking woman sprawled across it. She was breathing slowly, her eyelids fluttering to and fro. Her clothing was arranged in a manner that suggested that it was hurriedly put on, and Ulquiorra spotted a few suggestive bruises. Laura said nothing though, coming inside with a strangely nice looking glass of water. Ulquiorra accepted it, glancing over the scalloped edges curiously.

"I found that in a dead lady's house," Laura explained, understanding Ulquiorra's curiosity. "She lived down the street and had lots of nice stuff. It's not like she was gonna use it anymore,"

The water tasted metallic, but wasn't contaminated in any way that Ulquiorra could determine.

"You can sleep in my room," Laura added calmly. Ulquiorra looked up at Laura curiously. "I'll sleep on the roof!"

"You'll freeze," Ulquiorra remarked. Not that he cared, but the woman may become irate if she finds Ulquiorra sleeping in her (presumably) daughter's bed with the stiff corpse of said daughter on the rooftop.

"I have blankets," Laura replied. "I sleep outside all the time. I just came back here because I wanted some cake,"

"Cake?" Ulquiorra stared at the girl.

"Yeah. You want some?" Laura asked. "Come on! Mom bought it!"

Ulquiorra shrugged, stepping carefully through the sea of trash on the woman's floor and following Laura. She led him to a small, cracked and dirty kitchen. Dirty dishes were stacked here and there, making Ulquiorra wrinkle his nose. A very nice looking cake was on the counter though, with pink frosting that read 'Happy Birthday'.

"Whose birthday is it?" Ulquiorra asked conversationally in a dull monotone.

"I don't know," Laura admitted, cutting Ulquiorra a generous slice and digging around for a clean fork. When she found one, it had a green patch of something growing on it. Ulquiorra simply walked over, picked up a dirty fork and washed it briskly in the sink.

"We don't have a dishwasher," Laura stated. "I'm scared I'll drop the plates and make Mom mad,"

"I won't drop anything," Ulquiorra replied, setting his cake down. The filth seriously bothered him. "Is there dish soap?"

"Somewhere," Laura replied, digging under the sink. She pulled out a crusty looking bottle of Ajax and handed it to Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra filled up the sink and took off his pristine coat, hanging it neatly on a coat hook. Once the sink was filled with bubbles and hot water, Ulquiorra began to wash the dishes briskly.

Laura watched Ulquiorra work with wide, fascinated eyes. Then, she began drying off the dishes and putting them away. She stacked neat sets of china in dusty cabinets, handling each piece with care. Every once in a while she would sneeze at all of the dust. The sneeze was a cute sound, like a 'CHEEuu'. Ulquiorra thought it sounded like a cat from the human world that followed Grimmjow home.

After about an hour, the dishes were finally clean. Ulquiorra looked around at the still filthy kitchen. Laura on the other hand, was ecstatic.

"Let's do it again!" she exclaimed.

"There are no more dirty dishes," Ulquiorra stated.

"There's a dirty kitchen!" Laura replied. "I know where there are some sponges, and soap and stuff!"

"…" The filth was bothering Ulquiorra. And if he cleaned the kitchen, the woman may be more inclined to allow him to stay. It was in his best interests therefore to clean the kitchen with this odd teenage girl.

"I'll need a bucket, hot water, soap and bleach," he listed.

"ON IT!" Laura grinned, excited. She dashed off down the hall and came back with a bucket and a bottle of bleach. Ulquiorra began to pour in bleach, water and soap in exact amounts.

"First, clean the table," Ulquiorra indicated to the table in the kitchen, which was covered in trash. Laura nodded, pulling the garbage bag over and dumping waste in it. She seemed to make cleaning look so easy, just a matter of throwing things away. She did set things aside, a rather large pile of bills and papers.

"These are Mom's," she informed Ulquiorra, carrying them into the living room. She came back and began scrubbing down the table. Ulquiorra placed chairs on top of the clean table and found several sponges.

Half an hour later, the floor was sparkling clean and drying. Ulquiorra's pants were no longer the clean white they once were, but Laura promised him that she could wash them. Laura's clothes were rather damp too (she slipped and fell on the saturated ground) upon second examination, Ulquiorra found that Laura's form wasn't as bony and childish as it seemed under the layers of too-big clothes she wore.

Not that it mattered.

Ulquiorra's stomach complained. The man sighed. Back in Hueco Mundo, his stomach wouldn't dare complain. Now it seemed his body was behaving outside of his control.

Laura giggled and got up (carefully) maneuvering her way across the kitchen to the refrigerator.

"Sorry, we don't have a lot," she said, pulling out a package of ham. 'I hope this is still good,"

"Does it smell good?" Ulquiorra asked. Laura took a deep whiff and made a face.

"No," she stated, throwing it out. "It's been a while,"

"Have you bought food recently?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Dunno. Haven't been around in a few days," Laura replied.

"That is most likely the reason the house is in shambles," Ulquiorra remarked.

"Sorry about that, I didn't know we'd have company," Laura stated. Ulquiorra watched her dig around in the refrigerator. Her speech pattern seemed less childish now. In fact…

"If you didn't know when she went shopping, how did you know she bought cake?" Ulquiorra asked after a moment. Laura paused, and closed the refrigerator door.

"IT doesn't matter," she replied. Her eyes said it did. Her body said it did. She looked like the woman Orihime did.

Not that Ulquiorra cared.

Orihime was just a human.

Laura was just a human.

Humans don't matter.

Inuyoshie's after the chapter special

Yo yo yo. This be Inuyoshie, returning after a really long break.

Sorry about that.

So yeah. Ulquiorra be takin' out the trash and doin' da dishes. I really liked that image. It was all like 'Lol Irony!'

Yep. I be literaturally smarticle.

So yeah.

I'll see y'all later!


	9. Chapter 9: Catnap

Savin Me

By Inuyoshie

Chapter Nine:

It was Stark's firm belief that beds, like zanpaktous and goldfish, had owners.

The one he was in was obviously not his.

It was comfortable, but the contours that had been molded into its foamy mattress were not his. The feel of the fabric was as comforting and familiar as it would be to the owner. And that wasn't even getting into the scent- the pillow and sheets were saturated with her solid scent.

Most women have soft, delicate scents when one is in the room with them, but beds aren't soft and delicate. They are strong, fortresses of the mind and soul.

Stark was in the wrong fortress.

Well, it was less of Stark being in the wrong fortress, but the wrong person was in the fortress Stark was in. That girl... Stella? Stella yes, she should be lying in her bed, glancing around her neat but lived in room. Stark sighed softly, staring at the ceiling. He really shouldn't complain- the family was very kind for taking in a random stranger. For all they knew he was a homicidal monster or something. What if he had been Grimmjow or one of the other more violent Espada?

And speaking of the Espada, what exactly happened? Stark was pretty sure he died. And if he was still alive, where was Lilinette? It felt… wrong without her. Lonely.

Stark smiled bitterly. He should really be used to loneliness by now, one would think.

Yawning, the man rolled over, lying lazily on Stella's pillow. Her shampoo smelled like pineapple.

"Hey!"

Stark blinked, turning. A male cat (don't ask how Stark knew) was sitting on the bed next to him with wide green eyes and grayish white fur. The cat's tail was lashing behind him angrily. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Trying to sleep," Stark replied, looking curious.

"This isn't your bed! Where is my human!" the cat yowled.

"She's in the living room," Stark replied, sitting up. It was hard to sleep with an irate cat on the bed.

"Che. You smell like dog," the cat grumbled.

"Wolf," Stark corrected.

"Wolf, dog, same difference," the cat replied snootily.

"There's a difference," Stark retorted.

"Nope. None that I can see," the cat sneered.

"Have you ever even met a wolf?" Stark demanded, scowling.

"Don't need to. Mutts are mutts," the cat began grooming itself. Stark made a face.

"That's disgusting," he muttered. "Can I sleep now?"

"NO." the cat growled, tail lashing again. "Go get my human,"

"Why should I?" Stark wanted to know.

"You're the dog here, fetching is what you do," the cat replied. Stark reached over and picked the cat up by the scruff of his neck, standing up. The cat writhed and hissed, very angry, and demanded to be put down in a rather rude manner (as well as saying something about Stark's mother and a yeti). Stark calmly ignored the cat and descended the stairs quietly. As soon as they left the room, the cat became quiet too, almost… fearful. Stark glanced at the cat curiously, and then saw the Stella girl's mother dusting some resin bears on a shelf obsessively. She glanced up at Stark and pursed her lips.

"You can't be down here," she announced. Stark blinked sleepily.

"Why?" he asked. The woman made a face as if he just slapped her.

"I'm having company over," she replied, as if it should explain everything. Stark yawned and shrugged, turning and heading back upstairs. The cat whined once Stark was upstairs and Stark let him go. The cat raced down the hall and stopped at a small door. The cat scratched at the door imploringly, garnering a muffled 'Lynx, go away,' from behind the door. Stark knocked on the door politely.

"Coming," the voice muttered. Stark could hear things shuffling, and the sound of feet padding down a set of stairs. The door opened and Stella peered out at Stark. His nose twitched as a wave of air came from the upstairs, air that smelled like dust, old clothes and blood.

Fresh blood.

"Are you injured?" he asked slowly. Stella's eyes widened slightly, and then gave a slight nod.

"I… got a paper cut," she lied quickly. There was too much blood smell for it to be a paper cut. Stark frowned slightly, and sighed.

"Your cat was worried," he explained, pointing to the cat, who was winding around Stella's legs, purring.

"I see," Stella remarked, tugging her sleeve down. "I'll pick you up later, promise,"

"Mrow…" the cat (Lynx, was it?) whined. Stella turned and climbed the stairs. Stark followed. Stella turned at him, frowning.

"Why are you following me?" she asked her voice slightly hostile. Stark shrugged.

"I'm curious what's up here, and your mother won't let me go downstairs," he replied.

"Is she dusting?" Stella asked.

"Yes," Stark said.

"Ah. She has company over, and doesn't want to explain why you're here." Stella translated, ducking behind a pile of boxes in the dusty, cluttered attic. Stark noticed an open box of clothes, similar to the ones he was wearing. He also spotted a cedar box with two pictures in it. One was a picture of a smiling man with a stubbly chin, warm eyes and cheerful dimples. The other picture was of two people, Stella, and a blonde girl with curly hair and a wide, bright smile.

"…That's my dad," Stella said quietly, pointing to the picture of the man. "And that's Ester. She's my best friend,"

"Ah," Stark nodded, glancing over. Stella had a large quantity of gauze covering her arm. Stella noticed his gaze and tried to hide her arm. "…You cut yourself,"

"If you call me 'emo' I'll hit you," Stella muttered.

"I wasn't going to," Stark replied, not really knowing what 'emo' meant anyways."So your friend and father…"

"They're dead." Stella said her voice flat emotionless. She sat on a box and seemed to shrink on herself, her dark hair hiding most of her face. Stark sighed, sitting down on the floor. He could faintly hear the sounds of animated talking and laughter from downstairs, and see the pale, watery sunlight of winter stream in an attic window. Stark glanced at the shaving blade that lay next to the box with blood still smeared on its edges and on the floor, angry red caressing sleepy tan.

-/

Inuyoshie's After the chapter special

Meh.

I knew someone in high school who cut herself, and she took great offense to the word 'emo'. Unfortunately, I use that word a lot in my vocabulary. It's just part of my natural language, just as much as 'Que Bueno' and 'Shen me?' and such.

Talking cats. Cats have a sixth sense, as determined in the roleplay I did with a good friend of mine, Rayna Lissesul, so Lynx could talk to Stark. Doesn't seem to like him though.

Lynn, Stella's bitch of a mom, has mixed feelings about Stark. These shall be further explained later.

Indeed.

Sorry about the long update. T-T Do review if you wish.


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